Torn
by marinapanic
Summary: Set after "The Descent." Damon's ex girlfriend comes to town, and tries to set Damon and Elena up. Meanwhile, things are heating up between her and Tyler, and she decides she needs to help them break the curse... no matter what it takes. D/E, D/OC, T/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue.

"So?" He looked into my eyes; looked into my soul... and I saw something that I had never seen before. Insecurity. Vulnerability. Pain. He was my best friend, my first love, and while I was not in love with him anymore, he meant the world to me. "What will it be?"

I swallowed hard, very hard, staring him in the eyes. I didn't want to tell him the truth; that I'd made my decision a long time ago. It took me so long to realize what it was, of course, but now I knew. Now I knew, and there was no going back.

I never broke eye contact as I started backing away... backing into the arms of the man I loved; of the side that I was on.

"I'm sorry." I whispered softly, "I'm so, so sorry."


	2. Old Love, New Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

Chapter One.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was tension. Lots and lots of tension, and I could feel the presence of another witch. I immediately sought her out. She had much darker skin than myself, and much to my dismay, she was with the last person on the planet I wanted to see. Ever. They were in a little group over in the corner; the one that seemed to be radiating all of the dramarama.

I stood at the doorway, watching very quietly, waiting for the moment when the witch would notice me there. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, she whipped around, alerting the other members of her group to my presence.

And then I was pinned against the wall. "What are you." He snarled, "A demon? A shape shifter?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." A tall boy with dark cropped hair and dark, fierce eyes came up behind _him_. "Who's the monster now? Let the girl go!"

"Yeah, Damon. What the hell?" Another guy, _"Stefan," _my mind recollected quietly, exclaimed.

"She's a witch." The other girl stated plainly, "I can feel her presence."

My blood ran cold when Damon's hand briefly touched mine. _Vampire_. I'd known it for years, of course, but I'd never thought I'd have to see him this way.

"I know she's a witch." Damon said coldly, barely regarding the other girl. He was staring into my eyes, searching for something. _Your soul_. A little voice in my head said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "But I didn't think that witches were immortal. Actually, I _know_ they're not. So why is _she_ here?"

Good. He was about as happy to see me as I was to see him; it's not as though we left things on good terms.

"What do you mean, Damon?" Stefan stepped up and inspected me carefully, making sure that Damon had a hard grip on me. He did, and I didn't dare use magic in this situation. I needed to get their trust. I couldn't go screwing up my chances of finding my best friend now.

"If you don't remember, _brother_, I dated this bitch back in 1860... four years before little Katherine came into town."

"I don't remember." Stefan looked honestly confused. The little witch and the Katherine look-alike mirrored his face perfectly.

"Damon, what are you going on about?"

He didn't answer the girl who I could have sworn was Katherine's twin, even though I knew she wasn't. How come she looked exactly like her? It was fascinating. "This girl is a witch. She's the original, too. She's not a shapeshifter, she's not a vampire. So why is she still alive?"

All of the group's heads turned towards the other witch, except the short hair, dark eyed, mysteriously handsome boy, and a blonde girl. They seemed to be bickering amongst each other, completely paying no attention to me. Kind of. The boy's eyes flickered back every now and then. I caught his eye and smiled as Bonnie began to talk.

"What's your name?" She asked, looking wearily at me. I shrugged.

"Ashlyn Moore."

"It's just as I thought... but... I thought you were just a legend."

"Well I'm here. In the flesh." I said, "Why don't you enlighten your friends on _the legend_ though, so they know who I am?" I smirked at her. She turned back to face them.

"It's a witches tale that a girl and her sister performed a spell so dark that it rebounded and killed a girl—purposely. Witches weren't supposed to use their powers for evil, so the two Moore sisters, the last of their line, were bound to walk on the earth forever as punishment for what they did. But... but I really thought it was just a legend."

"Nope," I said sadly, "Immortality... a one hundred year suspension of my powers... thankfully that's over and done with, and Raelyn was killed."

"Really?" She asked, furrowing her brow, "Why?"

"Let's just say she set me up... and I killed her."

Everyone was on the defensive at that point, except Damon and the other witch... whose name I _still_ didn't know. Now that Damon knew I wasn't an imposter, I knew that he'd relaxed. He and I dated for two years and were completely in love, as mushy as that sounds, and he knew I'd never kill someone unless it were a matter of life and death.

He seemed to sense their fear and confusion though, because he said, "Don't worry, guys. She's not going to hurt us. At all. I'm sure she'll tell us what happened in time." _If I was even there "in time." _I finished his statement in my head, and smiled nervously as every pair of eyes landed on me.

"How about I get some introductions?"

"Do you really think you can come back here after one hundred and fifty years, and think that everything can go back to normal?"

"Do you think I had a choice about leaving?" I half yelled, "I was dragged away by my hair, Damon." We stood there glaring at each other (his was much scarier than mine), until the girl who looked like Katherine finally cleared her throat.

"Uh guys? Jeremy's here and we kind of have that uh... issue... to clear up." She said slowly, gesturing at the blonde haired girl and the dark haired boy. They were both staring at me oddly, as well, but didn't seem to care nearly as much about my intrusion. They seemed almost relieved. "I'll do introductions, if Damon is being so rude."

She smiled at me, "I'm Elena Gilbert. That's Stefan Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett, my best friend, Caroline Forbes, who is also a vampire, I might add, Tyler Lockwood, who is a werewolf, but I'm sure you'll figure that out for yourself eventually anyways, and my brother, Jeremy."

I smiled warmly at her. She seemed to be really nice. "I'm Ashlyn Moore. I'm a witch, and the only person I've ever killed was my sister, I swear. And it was in self defence."

Elena nodded, "If Damon trusts you, then so do I." She said firmly, smiling at my ex boyfriend, who seemed to be taken aback by her statement. All pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

"She can be trusted." He said quietly, "More than anyone else here."

I think he meant that last part just for me. I smiled softly and apologetically at him, and he said very quietly, so that I had to lean in to hear, "We'll talk later." I nodded, and we focused our attention back to Stefan.

"So we have two issues on our hands. The first one is this." He said, gesturing to the bickering...couple? "Tyler and Caroline are going to end up killing each other. The second is our new visitor." Stefan looked over at me pointedly. "Why are you here?"

"Uh..." I hesitated, "To see Damon, of course. To make things right."

Even _he_ didn't buy that. "Cut the crap, Ashlyn. I saw the look of surprise on your face when you walked in... you didn't think Damon and I would be here."

"Fine... I guess you got me." I said. I decided that the truth would be the best option. It really was time for them to know my true motives. "I'm here to find my best friends... Katherine Pierce and Mason Lockwood."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Wow I've only posted the prologue and this story is already getting hits...I know what I should write about from now on :P. Just kidding. Kinda. Uhmm I'm really bad at introduction chapters, but welcome to my story! You'll be reading it as I write it, basically, and I'm kind of inspired so hopefully I can do it up and not stop. If I have issues with ideas or anything I'll let you all know ASAP... i personally hate waiting for a story to come out! Also, I just want to point out that I am a HUGE TVD fan, and any inconsistencies from the show will be intentional. I'm also a fan of the book though, like hugely, first and foremost so if I accidentally mix up some details from the books and the show, please point them out to me! I should update about once or twice a week, sometimes twice a day, and most importantly, thank you SO much for reading! (From 212: The Descent, I will not be regarding the show unless I get really stuck so bear with me!) Thank you! **

**xoMarina  
**


	3. Heart to Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

Chapter 2

"Mason?" Tyler's head shot up quickly, "Do you know where he is?"

Caroline glared at him. "Didn't _Jules_ tell you that he was dead?" She uttered the name in distaste, which was shocking to say the least, and I looked up suddenly. Mason had been with Katherine and I for almost a year, and he was one of my best friends.

Stefan was worried about something else though. "There is no way you can find Katherine." He growled, "And no way you're going to impose danger on Elena by freeing her."

"Oh, so she needs to be freed?" Obviously I already knew the answer to that. She was in a tomb. I just had to figure out how to get her out. It wasn't a spell that had occurred within my family, so it would be very hard to break without the Grimwaur.

"Don't even think about it." Stefan growled. Honestly? I'd known the guy before, and I knew him now, and he wasn't my favourite person in the world. Way too tense.

"Relax." I said, "It'll be ages before I can figure out how to do it." I said slowly. I looked at each member of the group. "You guys don't need to worry about me. But I think I have some explaining to do to Tyler."

Damon took a step forward at my words. "Ashlyn, he's very angry right now, and very, very dangerous." He said, "You're risking your life by being alone with him."

I was taken aback by his worries, but smiled nonetheless. "Damon, I'll be fine. Call me in two hours." I gave him my "card," and said, "Just to check in."

"Where are you staying tonight?"

"I was thinking of staying at the Super 8 Motel." I admitted. Elena quickly jumped in, smiling at me.

"No, no Ash. I would like you to come stay at my house." She said softly. I barely even heard her. Her hospitality surprised me. It really did.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"I'm positive." Elena replied, "Just have Tyler bring you back tonight." She said, casting a weary glance at the werewolf boy. "He really is dangerous. Please be careful."

"I will." I said softly. "I promise." I turned and started to walk out of the restaurant, Tyler following along behind me.

"So..." He said slowly as he brought his pace up to match mine, "Who are you, again?"

I smiled at him. "I'm Ashlyn Moore. I'm an immortal witch who just happened to be very good friends with your cousin in the last year of his life."

"Is he really dead then?"

"Yeah." I said softly, "Damon says he is... so he must be."

"You put a lot of faith into that stupid conniving vampire... even after he called you a bitch."

"He's mad at me." I explained briefly, "I understand. I'd be mad at me too."

"What did you do to the guy?"

I smiled wryly. "Don't worry. I'll tell you in time, Tyler. But right now, I know you have a lot of questions for me."

"I do." He replied, "What exactly happened with Mason, and Jules, and you, and this Katherine chick?"

"Well, Jules and Tyler were living together, and met us on the beach one day. We just kind of hit it off from there. Of course, Katherine always has an ulterior motive, so Jules was a little worried when she wooed him and talked him into taking a road trip with her, but she didn't know that Katherine was a vampire. Not then, at least."

"She would have been against the relationship had she known?"

"Totally." I looked Tyler in the eyes. "Jules is a good person. She's messing with vampires because Damon is an arrogant prick who started something with her. He killed her best friend, and he tried to kill her, too."

"And you're trying to break Katherine out?"

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to tell Tyler the truth, but the other part of me didn't want to upset him. "I'm here to get her—yes." I said, "but if anything, she'll be against Damon. Or she'll just want to get out of town. She won't do any harm to you. I promise. She really did like Mason."

Tyler nodded. "Fine." He said. "Welcome to Mystic Falls, I guess then." He said. We started to walk out towards the parking lot. "Do you want me to show you around?"

"Do you want to show me around?"

Tyler smirked. "Are you going to tell me more about Mason?"

"Yeah, I will." I said, "There isn't much to say though. I haven't known him for a very long time."

"I understand." Tyler said slowly, "I didn't know him for a long time either."

"Why did he come here to begin with?" I asked curiously, "No one ever told me. I just kind of... woke up one day and Katherine was gone... and Jules said they'd come here but she didn't know why."

"He wanted a moonstone that my dad had or something—some family heirloom, I guess." Oh shit. Katherine had mentioned the moonstone to me. Something about a curse and the doppelganger and blah blah blah. She was always scheming and running.

"Oh." I said. "He'd never said anything to me about it—I wish I could be more help."

"It's okay." Tyler said. We got into his car, and drove around in silence for about half an hour. He'd only speak to tell me what something was... but I was barely even listening.

"What happened with Caroline?" I finally asked, "If you don't mind talking to me about it?"

"You'd be the first." Tyler had a frown on his face, "But basically, she and I have never liked each other very much." He said. "Then she became a vampire, and had to dump her boyfriend, and go through the entire transformation alone. And then someone accidentally died at my hand... and I became a werewolf."

"How did she die?"

"It was an accident... she banged her head."

I nodded. "Okay..."

"Anyways... Caroline had been stationed to make sure I didn't kill anyone and trigger the curse, because Damon and Stefan knew about it. And when she realized what I'd become... she wouldn't leave me alone until my first transformation. She told me she wanted to guide me through but really she was just watching me... to make sure that I didn't kill anyone."

"And you developed real feelings for her." I said quietly upon taking notice of the expression on his face. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"But none of it was real. She was lying to me... she was just protecting _them_."

"I'm sure she really regarded you as her friend."

"She covered up my uncle's murder!" Tyler practically yelled. I put my hand on his arm, which I noticed was trembling, and he calmed down at my touch. I probably unintentionally sent calming vibes through his body—that happened sometimes. He continued on, his voice a bit softer, "She lied to me. She wasn't my friend."

"I'm sorry, Tyler." I said slowly, "I really am." I paused, "But you don't deserve Caroline. You could kill her, anyways. You need a girl who loves you for you, and who is completely honest with you and..."

"Yeah well if you ever meet someone like that, let me know will you?" He asked, rolling his eyes. I smirked.

"You bet I will."

My phone started ringing then, and I looked at the time. Two hours had already passed. "Hello?"

"Oh good. You're still alive."

"Yup." I said, rolling my eyes. Was Damon clingy now, too?

"Look, so Elena's going to take you over to our house after you get to her place, okay? That way... we can talk."

"Okay." I said. I cast a look at Tyler, who was watching me curiously, "I'll talk to you later, okay Damon?"

"Okay, bye sweetheart." He said sardonically. I rolled my eyes and hung up.

"Are you going to tell me what happened between the two of you?"

I smiled. "You really want to know?"

"I'm pretty curious."

I looked away from him. "I heard word travels fast around here."

"I might be an infamous asshole, but I won't tell anyone. Promise. As long as you don't go around shouting that I actually had feelings for _Caroline_."

And despite everything going on with him and Caroline and the vampires and the werewolves, I figured I could trust this kid. He was the victim, in my eyes, anyways. "Damon and I were together when we were both human. He was seventeen and I was sixteen, and I ran away from home. I came to Mystic Falls because the tales of demons were fascinating to me."

"I thought those tales didn't begin until Katherine came in?"

"There were a few before her... nothing major though. Either way, as a witch it fascinated me. So I came to Mystic Falls when I couldn't take _home_ anymore. My father was an abusive asshole, my mom was annoying as fuck, and my older sister Raelyn was a fuck up. I couldn't take it anymore, so I just ran."

"Raelyn is the one you killed, right?"

I grinned. "Yes." I said, "But anyways, so I met Damon, and we hit it off immediately. After about six months of being together, he asked me to marry him. I accepted of course, and we set the wedding to be a year from that date. My sister found me, a couple months after that, and told me that if I didn't leave Damon and come home, then she'd kill him."

"What a bitch."

"I know, right? And she said he'd look for me if I just left, so I had to break up with him."

"I guess he didn't take it that well?"

"He was devastated." I felt my eyes tearing up, "And I felt terrible, but it was for the best."

Tyler nodded. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I almost feel bad for the jerk."

"Don't." I smiled, "He's going to be making your life a living hell... so I'll distract him as long as I can but you'll have to be ready. Be on alert. I'm sorry it's coming down to this."

"I guess I expected that when I turned, everything would change." Tyler said slowly, "I'm a bit nicer now, at least. I used to be a huge asshole."

"Really?" I could kind of see it, but he was being so nice right now that it was hard.

"Oh yeah." He replied, "I made out with Matt's mom."

"No _way_." I smirked. That was kind of gross. "Is she like... hot?"

"Definitely. I couldn't help myself. Like she was really upset, and we talked a bit and then it just happened. Matt saw though... freaked out."

"What happened?"

"We fought." Tyler said simply, "I think he was angrier at her than he was at me, but we didn't talk for weeks. It was bad enough to him that I used to date his sister."

"Wow." I said, "Yeah that must've disturbed him a bit."

"Just a little." Tyler was grinning as he pulled into a driveway to a huge house, "This is my house. I figured we could talk and pass more time up by watching a movie or something."

"Yeah, that sounds nice." I smiled, "And I should tell you something else."

"What's that?"

"Jules will probably let it slip when she sees me so... I should tell you I used to sleep with your uncle." I said slowly, and his reaction wasn't nearly what I expected. He looked a little grossed out, at the least.

"Wasn't he like... older?"

"You're forgetting that I'm _old_. And mature." I said, "And we sort of had a mutual attraction to each other. So it worked."

"You just need a mutual attraction with someone to sleep with them?"

"Totally." I replied, "But I'm not a slut. I don't really just "sleep with" anyone. I need to actually enjoy their company, and actually like them. The attraction implies that I'm into them, and vice versa."

Tyler nodded for a second. "Well, you've been alive for 168 years, so... I'm not going to judge you." He paused, "What movie do you want to watch?"

"Do you have Just Friends?" I asked, it was my all time favourite movie. He nodded and put it in, leading me over to the couch. I sat down next to him, feeling comfortable in his house. Safe. It was nice, for now. I knew that it wouldn't be this way for long.

The movie started playing, and I was enjoying Ryan Reynolds little spats with Chris Klein when Tyler started to talk again. Well... twenty questions seemed to be a game he liked. "Have you ever been married?"

I smiled over at him. "A few times." I said sadly. My marriages never lasted because the men wanted babies, which I couldn't give them, or they'd start to age and I wouldn't... it was too suspicious. "But I haven't been married since 1928."

"Really?" He seemed intrigued. "Tell me about your husbands?"

I smirked, "Next time, okay?"

"Fine." He seemed satisfied enough. We settled back into the couch and watched the rest of the movie in silence.

* * *

**A/N: I love this story. I want to make longer chapters so I can challenge myself more:P **

**One big issue with my writing is that I contradict myself a LOT with the character actions. I'm looking out for that as I write as best as possible. BTW: This story is rated M for language, future possible sexual content, and dark situations. :) PS I'll update tomorrow in honour of 2x13 "Daddy Issues" :D So pumped! **

**Thanks to everyone who's subscribed :)  
**


	4. Old Flame

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

Chapter 3

"Ready to go to Elena's house?" Tyler asked when the movie finished. I shrugged. I really didn't. The longer I could hold off facing Damon, the happier I was. He seemed to sense my hesitance, and said, "I could convince my mom to make us some dinner... it would occupy her enough, I guess."

"No, no." I said quickly, "I don't want to impose more than I already have."

"Are you sure? It's not like I don't enjoy spending time with you."

I smiled at that. "Okay, fine. You have me convinced." I looked up at him, and was happy to see that he had a small smile on his face.

"Awesome. I think she's getting home right now."

As if on cue, a woman in her early forties walked into the kitchen where we stood. "Oh, Tyler, I didn't realize you were home!" She looked at me, "And who's this?"

"Uh mom, this is Ashlyn Moore, she's kind of new in town so I offered to show her around. Ash, this is my mom, Carol."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I put a bit of magic behind my smile so she'd feel more charmed than most people were inclined to feeling when they first met me.

Carol looked at Tyler and smiled, mouthing, "I like her," before unpacking the groceries in her hands.

Tyler smiled over at me again, and I felt myself blush. Wow I'd known him for a day and he was already making me blush... what could possibly happen next?

He showed me around the rest of his house, and when we finally made it back into the dining room, dinner was served. "I hope you don't mind..." Tyler blushed, "We're just having some chicken soup for supper tonight."

"Of course I don't mind." I smiled, "I love soup." We ate in silence, sitting next to each other, and when we were done, we both stood up.

"Thanks for having me over." I smiled brightly at him, "I'm glad we got a chance to talk."

"Me too... although I don't think I ever wanted to know about your sexual history with Mason." Tyler teased, leading us to the front entrance where I put on my shoes. I led us out the door and over to his truck, and rolled my eyes.

"You'll never let me forget about that one, eh Tyler?"

"Definitely not, eh? Spend some time in Canada, eh?"

"I was born in Canada, bitch." I grinned, "Initially, anyways."

"Aww that's just too cute." He got into the driver's seat and started up the vehicle, and I stayed silent as we drove to what I assumed would be Elena's house. It was a considerably big house that he pulled up to, and I smiled at him for what felt like the thousandth time that night.

"Thanks for everything." I said, "I had a lot of fun."

"Anytime, Ashlyn. I kind of liked hanging out with you."

"Well I'm glad."

"Yeah... eh?"

"Ugh shut up jerk." I felt myself smiling as Elena came outside. She waved slightly at me, and I smirked a bit, but felt my face fall when I saw Tyler's dark expression.

"There's going to be a war, isn't there?" I asked him slowly, and he turned to look at me, his expression lifting a bit. He nodded.

"And I'm not going to be on the same side as them." He said slowly. It was my turn to nod. "Give me your phone."

I handed him my phone, a Blackberry Torch, and he put his number in. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Promise?" I asked, smirking again. He smiled.

"Yeah, I promise. We could hang out or whatever... and I could introduce you to the other wolves, maybe."

"Maybe." I said, "It'll have to be our little secret, though."

"You're going to go spend your night with vampires... I don't want to lose your friendship completely tonight."

I smiled genuinely at him, grabbing his hand. "I'm not easily swayed." I said, "Most likely, I'll remain neutral. But then again... it is _Damon_ we're talking about." The silence that followed was an unspoken acknowledgement of my past relationship and how it still meant quite a bit to me.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yup." I nodded, "But I sleep in late, so don't call before noon... you can have me the whole day if you want though."

"Good." Tyler replied, "Now... Elena looks suspicious... so you'd better get going."

I gave him a meaningful look, and then got out of the vehicle without another word. Elena was waiting by her car. "Did you two have a good talk?"

"Yeah." I said, "I explained a lot about his uncle to him..."

"You were over there for quite a while."

"Yeah... we watched a movie... had some dinner... stuff like that."

"Sounds like a date."

"It wasn't." I blushed, "Just... getting to know each other."

Elena nodded, and then she looked me in the eyes. "I keep telling them that they can't kill Tyler. I've known him my whole entire life. He's where I draw the line." She said, as if it was a statement that changed the world.

"Why him?"

"He's a _good_ guy. Deep down. He can be an incredibly huge douche to women and to his friends... but he's a good guy deep down." She smiled, "But unfortunately, Mason coming into town wasn't the best for him. These are circumstances out of his control."

We got into the car, and she started driving farther and farther out of town. Well... the parts of town I'd already seen. "So... got the vampire boys both in love with you, eh Elena?"

She blushed. "I'm in love with Stefan." She said, "But you and Damon, huh?"

"Uh we have some history. Didn't leave things off on such good terms though... so I don't know anymore."

"Would you get back together with him if you had a chance?"

"Definitely." I said without thought, "I never stopped loving him... all these years. As cheesy as it sounds. He's been in love with you and Katherine though... so I don't think those feelings are still there for him."

"He seemed really upset after you left earlier... he wouldn't talk to anyone... and then he left early."

"Well I guess it's a good thing I'm going over there so we can "talk" right now then, isn't it?"

"Are you really going to talk?"

"One hundred and fifty years of sexual tension... I doubt it. But I guess we'll see."

Elena just chuckled, but I watched her face very carefully. Was that a glint of sadness I saw in her eyes? We pulled into a driveway, and I looked up at the house.

"This is so beautiful." I said, "Much nicer than the old family estate."

She just smiled as we walked up the driveway and went into the house. Stefan and Damon were sitting in the main den, Stefan reading a book, and Damon drinking some weird alcoholic beverage. They stood up when they heard us walk in.

Stefan walked straight over to Elena and engulfed her in a hug, apparently afraid that I'd eat her or something on the way over. Damon, however, was focussed on me. He was studying my face, my body... my every movement.

He walked over to me, and said quietly, "Let's go upstairs and uhm... talk."

I nodded and followed him up, looking back and Stefan and Elena, only to see them looking worriedly at the two of us. Let's face it... I bet none of us knew what was going to happen.

We walked into a room that I assumed must have been his bedroom, and he shut the door. "Ashlyn Moore." He said slowly, "I have wanted to _kill_ you for so long."

"But you didn't know I was alive until today."

"You're right." He said, "But I wish I had killed you."

"And you won't, now." I said confidently, looking him directly in the eyes.

"How do you know?"

"Because it's been far too long, and your hate for me has subsided, even if only a little bit."

"You're right." Damon said, looking down, "I'm not going to kill you. Yet."

"Why not at all?"

"Because you still haven't explained why you're here. You could get us all killed, for all I know."

"I thought you knew me better than that?"

"I thought I did too. But you're all friendly with the cub now..."

"I've known him for one day!" I said, feeling my anger rise. This man was _so_ frustrating! "We're barely even friends."

"He's definitely attracted to you. I could see it from the start."

"Damon... no, he isn't. Not every guy who pays me any attention is into me! Would you stop being so fucking annoying?"

I think my use of profanity sent him over the edge, because the next thing I knew, I was pinned against the wall that had mere seconds before been about ten feet away, and his lips were kissing my own.

It took me about thirty seconds before I actually responded... I had to figure out if I wanted to curse him into pieces, slap him, or kiss him back, but in the end my biggest desire ended up winning. I kissed him back, and I could feel the last century and a half of emotions pouring into this one.

His kisses were one hundred times better as a vampire... less like ecstasy, more like ten bags of heroin. I felt like I was flying. I felt like I'd never, ever come down.

And I was completely, totally hooked.

* * *

**A/N Sorry this took kind of a long time! Also, sorry it's a bit boring. I'm still trying to build my characters! And be funny at the same time. So Damon and Ashlyn are hookin' up there a bit at the end... ooo Drama! What will Tyler think? Next one will be out soon**

**LOVE all the feedback, guys, you're super amazing! **

**xoMarinaa  
**


	5. Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

I wish the night had been able to last longer, but unfortunately, before Damon and I could get anywhere with this passionate kissing thing, Stefan came in and interrupted.

"What could you possibly want, _brother_?" Damon growled, sitting up next to me. Stefan frowned at him.

"Have you already forgotten Elena?"

"Of course not, Stefan. My little angel here and I were just getting reacquainted. But we'll have to talk business eventually." Of course. We stood up and joined Stefan at the door. I tried smiling at him, but it just didn't come out.

"What exactly are we facing here?"

"The werewolves want to break the curse of the sun and the moon." Stefan said, "And so does Klaus. If the werewolves break it, then they can transform at will. If the vampires break it, they can walk around in the sunlight as well." He paused, "The only problem is, that to break the curse, you need the doppelganger. Also known as... Elena."

I nodded my head; the wheels were already turning. And... I'd formed a plan. "I know what to do, believe it or not." I said, "Now... you two can walk out in the sun regardless, right? Because of some weird ring or whatever?"

Both of the vampires held up their ring hands, showing me the blue jewel that adorned their fingers.

"So," I went on, "It doesn't matter if the wolves break the curse then."

"They'd probably kill us all though!" Damon exclaimed. I shook my head. "If I could somehow make a deal with them... freedom, as long as they left town—minus Tyler of course, would you go for it?"

Both Damon and Stefan looked tense. "No way. Elena can't die. She's already agreed with this Elijah guy to basically martyr herself. We _have_ to protect her." Damon said almost desperately. I smirked.

"That's the other part of my plan, guys." I said, "Elena, will not die."

"That's..."

"That's impossible." Stefan finished for his brother. I shook my head.

"You two are incredibly dense, aren't you?" I asked. They both sat there, blankly staring at me. I just smiled back at them as I started to walk in the direction of their guest room—I supposed I should probably spend the night, since I'd killed so much time with Damon, and it was extremely late. "Just let me know when you figure it out." I walked closer to them. "Goodnight, Stefan—sweet dreams. Good night, Damon." I kissed him quickly on the lips, "Sleep tight."

I walked into the room, which was complete with a huge bed, a chest of drawers, and an ensuite bathroom, and shook my head. These boys really enjoyed a life of luxury. I didn't even bother changing, nor did I have clothes with me to change into. I figured that Elena was already tucked away, sleeping in Stefan's bed.

_Boy... do I have my work cut out for me_. I thought sadly as my mind started to fade, _Persuasion galore... Damon... Elena... Elijah...Tyler..._

I woke up the next morning and had no idea where I was. I blinked a couple of times, yawning and stretching, and then the night's events poured into my head.

"Morning sunshine." _Damon._ I can't believe I actually forgot about him!

"Speak for yourself." I grumbled, not wanting to get out of the nice warm covers. He smirked, walking over to the bed and letting himself in.

"Oh I will. It is not a good morning." He stated, He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. I didn't kiss him back. I was too sceptical.

"What are you doing, Damon? Last night... although I would never wish it hadn't happened... it was just the release of some very strong sexual tension. I didn't think we'd be carrying it into today."

Damon frowned, looking at me with very curious eyes. "Don't even try and compel me." I smirked, "I've been drinking vervain since being best friends with Katherine."

"Of course." He let out a sharp breath. "But you can't write me off completely, Ashlyn. Look... we had something once." I could sense something. There was mistrust and dishonesty in his voice. Damon wanted me for _something_.

"Just tell me what you want, Damon."

"I do miss you." He started to say slowly. I nodded, gesturing for him to go on. "But I'm obviously not in love with you anymore... there was Katherine, and now there's Elena."

"I know, Damon. Katherine told me all about her thing with you." I said with an eye roll. I'd heard _way_ too much.

"But I did miss you. And I want to see if _we_ could work. Kind of. I just broke up with my last girlfriend and I'm kind of looking for someone to fill the gap."

I was almost positive that he wouldn't be telling me he wanted to use me so he wouldn't be lonely if I were someone else. But Damon and I had a lot of history. I guess he knew he could be honest with me.

And I don't know why, but I was alright with that. "Okay, fine." I said slowly, looking up at him as my cell phone started to beep.

_Hey Ash, what time do you want to hang out today? _

It was from Tyler. I felt myself smile slightly as I replied: **_Can you come get me in an hour? _**

"Who was that?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow at my phone. I shrugged.

"Just Tyler, asking when we're going to hang out." I replied, stuffing the phone back into my pocket. I didn't have to look up to see him rolling his eyes.

"You're _still_ hanging out with wolf boy?"

"Yes." I said, "Of course I am."

"Are you going to tell him about 'us'?"

"Probably," I said, "I mean he'll probably not be too happy if I leave him out of the news... and I'm supposed to be his friend. I want him to be able to trust me."

"Why does it even matter to you?" His voice was beyond frustrated as my phone beeped again. I opened the message,

_How about half an hour? Where can I get you from? _

I replied quickly, **_Boardinghouse:) See you then!_**

"It doesn't matter to me." I said quickly, "Now if you'll excuse me, Damon, I need to get dressed."

"Not in anything too fancy, I hope."

"When have I ever been one to wear _fancy_ clothing?"

Damon rolled his eyes as he started to leave the room, before smirking. "So... _girlfriend..._ dinner tonight at nine? Sounds good." He briskly left the room, and I let out a sigh as I followed him out and took a right into Stefan's room, knocking at the door.

"Come in!"

I smiled at him brightly as I walked in. "Morning Stefan."

"Morning Ashlyn." He smiled back, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was just wondering if Elena had any spare clothes here. I need something to change into." I said quickly. He got up off of his bed and opened the closet.

"She wore this here the first time... but I guess she doesn't wear it often, since she has not worn it once since." He threw out a grey hoodie, a pair of black skinny jeans, and a bright pink halter top.

"I think this will fit me." I said, smiling at him, "Thank you."

"Who are you going out to meet?"

"Tyler..." I said slowly, "He's picking me up pretty soon, actually."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to be hanging out with him?"

I rolled my eyes, picking up the clothes and hanging them over my arm. "I like Tyler. He's chill, and he's a pretty nice guy." I said, "Have a nice day, Stefan." I smiled at him before leaving the room, and going back into the guest room.

I got dressed, applied some black eyeliner and sparkly eye shadow, and straightened my wavy blonde hair. When it was left wavy, it went to just past my shoulders, but when I straightened it, it went almost halfway down my back.

Finally, I heard a truck pull into the driveway, and I grabbed my purse before quickly walking down the stairs and outside without a word to anyone. Tyler met me at the door, staring darkly up at the house.

We walked to the vehicle together, and when we got in, he turned to me. "Really? The boarding-house?"

"Yeah." I said slowly, "So?"

"I think I dropped you off at Elena's last night. How'd you get from point A to point B?"

"I just did." I said slowly, not thinking anything of it. "And... I guess Damon and I are back together again?"

He turned his face away, but I'd already caught his grimace. "Oh, well that's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I suppose so." I said quietly, "Look, Tyler... I have a plan."

"What plan?"

"I know that you guys _need_ to break that curse... I know that you want to. For the wolves. So you can transform at will. And I know you never want to transform again. And I have a plan... that doesn't involve the death of Elena."

"Oh really?" I knew that Tyler, having known Elena for his entire life, wouldn't want to see her dead as much as Stefan and Damon did. "And what is that plan?"

"Well... we need to execute this plan in secret." I said, "Or else we could all die. It's going to take months of preparation and planning."

"You would break that curse for me though? You wouldn't do it for your vampire boyfriend?"

I frowned. "You need it more, Tyler."

He smiled at this. "So, Ash, what's your brilliant plan?"

"I have to get so many people in on this. But basically, we're going to turn Elena into a vampire, and kill Klaus."

"Oh, that doesn't sound difficult at _all_. Who's Klaus?"

"He's this _old_ vampire. He was after Katherine for centuries because she turned before he could kill her, but what if Elena turns _after_ he kills her? It would be perfect. And I could break the curse using her sacrifice. Do I sound completely crazy to you?"

He was staring at me almost as though he was in awe. "You're brilliant."

I blushed. "Thanks." I said, "But it'll take a lot of planning."

"I'll help you with... everything." Tyler volunteered, "I just can't be like this anymore."

"You'll do all the legwork with me?"

"Yeah totally. As long as your... boyfriend... doesn't have an issue with it."

I felt myself smiling. "I'll tell you a secret." I said, "I'm not really into him. He's only using me as a distraction."

Tyler gave me this really weird look. "He's _using_ you? Why are you going along with it?"

"Because I can. Because I need to. No one will trust me if I'm not connected." I said, completely truthfully. "But I do still love him."

Tyler nodded. "Well how about today, we just forget about all this tension and have some fun?"

"What were you thinking?"

"There's this place on my family's old property... a nice beach and stuff... I figured we could go enjoy the sun while it's still here, and just kind of relax while we can."

I felt a huge smile go on my face... completely uncontrolled. "That sounds lovely." I said, "Let's go."

Tyler and I were silent for the entire ride, and I finally had some time to really _think_. What was I doing with this guy right now? Was I into him? Obviously, I was. I wouldn't even be here right now if I didn't like Tyler even a little bit. He wasn't mysterious, but he was just... I don't even know. He was something, and I liked it. Plus, I was kind of pumped to see him shirtless. He seemed like the hot body type. Totally.

"Next week's a full moon." His voice broke my train of thought, and I looked over at him as he turned a corner. "I don't know how I'll be able to do it again."

"I might be able to make something that can help you." I said, just remembering a potion that I had learned how to make about a year ago. I started to make it when Mason and Katherine were still around, but they disappeared before I could finish. I was so angry at them for running off together that I dumped its contents into the ocean.

"Really?"

"Yeah." I said, "I told Mason about a potion I was developing—made with wolfsbane, of course. Think "Harry Potter." It would allow the person who consumed the potion to transform... and keep their own mind."

"That's very Harry Potter, I like it." Tyler said, "I wonder why Mason didn't mention it?"

"I hadn't finished it until after he took off with Katherine." I explained, "I still haven't tested it, but I'm one hundred percent positive it will work."

"I'm willing to be your lab rat." Tyler said quickly, "I'll do anything."

"Fine." I said hesitantly. I really didn't want anything to happen to him. What if it turned out to be toxic or something? As if he could sense my fears, he put his hand on my arm reassuringly.

"I can handle myself, Ash. It's worth the risk. Besides," He grinned, "We're here."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, again! I've been developing my plot and I have it figured out :) As you can most likely tell. If this confuses you at all, I'll explain that Ashlyn and Tyler are friends and she doesn't have any romantic feelings for him, other than the fact that he's cute and nice and she knows that. She and Damon are just in a physical relationship... he doesn't love her but she loves him still... and he's using her as his "distraction" (Like Andie Starr, I guess) **

**Uhh thank you guys soo much for all the reviews and feedback! I love it all so much! Hopefully you like this chapter! The next one will be more fun to write... what do you think's going to happen? Some Ash/Tyler romance going on? Who knows ;) **

**Thanks for reading :D  
**


	6. Trust Issues

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

The beach turned out to be small and secluded, but beautiful. Just being there made me forget about the busy town beyond the entrance; the vampires and the werewolves, my newfound "romance" with Damon, and the curse that plagued me for eternity. I just focussed on it's beauty.

"It's so nice here." I told Tyler, who just smiled in response as he led me down to the sand. I sat down—it was surprisingly soft, and the sun beating down on it caused it to be warm as well.

"I figured you might like it. I kind of like coming here to escape from life sometimes."

I smiled over at him. "It's definitely beautiful." I said, "Breathtaking." I missed summer days, that was for sure, and in California, it always felt like summer.

We sat in silence for a very long time, when finally, I stood up. "We should probably get going... I kind of want to talk to Jules before I go back to Elena's house tonight." I paused, "Can you take me to her?"

"Yeah, okay." Tyler agreed, "But only if you promise to do dinner with me tonight."

"I'm meeting Damon at nine." I admitted, "But we can hang out right up until then." I promised, and he nodded.

"I'll take that." He smiled, and said, "How about we walk, and then come back later and grab the truck?"

"Sounds good to me." I said, and we started walking. "So tell me about _Tyler Lockwood_." I said slowly, "What makes him tick?"

"Well if I told you... then there'd be nothing left for you to discover on your own... would there?"

"You have a point." I said, "And I think I want to figure you out for myself, anyways."

"Why don't you tell me about your husbands? We have a long walk ahead of us." Tyler smiled slyly at me, and I felt myself blushing.

"I'll tell you about my first husband." I said, "It was in 1879... his name was Jacob Hart."

"Did you love him?" Tyler asked, looking over at me. I shook my head.

"I thought I did... I was still young. Kind of. But he died... and I didn't even miss him."

Tyler had a look of sadness on his face. "Did you still love Damon at that time?"

"I guess so. I met Katherine right before I started seeing Jacob, and she had told me all about her Damon/Stefan weird love affair. I still didn't have my powers, after the girl my sister killed died, so that's how I know that she wanted me for me. She couldn't even use me." I said. "But all of her stories took me back to Mystic Falls. And I missed him."

"Did Katherine tell you that she turned them into vampires?"

"She didn't know at the time. She fed them both blood and knew they were shot, but she wasn't sure if they'd feed or not." Tyler nodded at this. "Anyways, it was still old times. It was more advanced, but still not as good as we have it today. He fell sick and died."

"I'm sorry." Tyler said slowly, "That must've been horrible."

"I moved after that." I said simply. "Went to Australia for a couple of years."

"Did you pick up one of those Australian accents?"

"Yeah."

"Hot."

I just blushed as we walked into the forest. "Uhm where are we going?"

"She has a trailer in the forest." Tyler said, and then he smiled slyly. "So what happened to it?"

I smirked. "I lived in the U.S for much longer." I said, "It faded with time."

"That's a shame."

"It is." I said, "I always swore that if I ever broke my curse, I'd marry, and go live in Australia."

"That's cute, actually. I hope you do end up breaking it." Tyler said slowly as we approached a huge trailer in the middle of the woods, "But for now... we're here."

A large man came out upon hearing the sound of our voices and smiled at me immediately. "Ashlyn."

"Hi, Brady." I grinned, "Long time no see!"

"Ashlyn... pleasure as usual." Brady rolled his eyes. He and I got along, but he didn't like me much. I was "too perky" for him. Apparently. I didn't think I was perky at all, to be honest. Whatever. That initial smile told me he was relieved to see me.

"I'm glad you're alive too, Brady." I said, "But I'm here to speak to your master." I teased. Brady hated the idea that people respected Jules more than him.

"She's inside." He said, smirking. "I see you've met Tyler."

"Yeah, met him yesterday." I flashed a smile in the young werewolf, "I can already tell we're going to be great friends."

"Well that's good. I guess Lockwood here needs all the friends he can get." Brady joked, taking us into the trailer. It was very small, but had a sense of homeliness about it. Jules was sitting at the small table in the kitchen. "Babe? I have someone who wants to see you."

The blonde woman looked up as Tyler and I approached. "Ashlyn Moore." She said softly, "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Oh really?"

"I figured you'd be happy you could get away from Katherine's control... but I guess not." She paused, "Here you are."

Okay, so there was no way I would tell her now that I was here to find Katherine. "Actually, I'm here to help you break the curse."

"Bullshit." Jules said, scrutinizing me closely. "There is no way you even know how to do that."

"What parts of 'witch' do you not get?" I asked, "I can do it. I will do it."

"Why do you even want to help us?"

"Easy." I said, I cast a glance back at Tyler who was still standing in the doorway. She looked over there too, and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you went for younger men now." She said quietly, "After _Mason..._"

"Jules... I don't want to hear that now." Tyler said, walking into the room. "And Ashlyn's intentions are true. She's dating Damon Salvatore right now, but she's been spending all her time here with me."

Jules whipped her head back around to look at me. "Damon Salvatore eh?" She asked, "How do I know you haven't switched sides?"

"You don't. But we used to be close. I don't want to lose that now."

"Mason is gone, Ash, and your _boyfriend_ killed him. Why do you not understand that I can't trust you?"

"I'll prove it to you." I said, "I have a plan."

"Really?"

"Yes." I said, "One that involves a compromise."

"What is this brilliant plan of yours?"

I explained it to her, and it took me almost an hour to go over the logistics of it. By the end of my speech however, I had her convinced. She could trust me again, and even Brady was staring at me in awe.

"I don't like the vampires one bit... but your way... everyone is happy." He said slowly, "I like it."

"We're in." Jules smiled, "So what's the next step?"

"Damon said he'd take care of killing Elijah. So I need to work on developing a new weapon that can kill Klaus." I said, and we also need to locate him... which I should be able to do."

"I want to come with you." Tyler spoke up from the corner, "To find Klaus."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" I asked quickly, "We need to do it in secret." I said, "You'll have to give up school and your social life."

"It's what needs to be done." He said. I couldn't help but think that after I told Damon the plan, he'd want to come along as well. Oh well. We'd deal with it when it happens.

"Okay." I finally said, fighting off the urge to keep him safe—the urge to bring him with me for company was too strong, "You can come with me." I said.

"Awesome." He grinned, "But guys, we have to go now. I have to get this one back to the vampire by nine."

I looked at the time on my phone. It was only seven. "It was nice seeing you, Ash. I'm sorry I was so mistrustful at first."

"I understand." I said, grinning, "I'll be sure to come find you before I go off to my death." I joked. She smiled.

"Yeah, please do." She said, "And take Tyler. I'll want to have a few words with him before he leaves."

"Okay, sounds good." We hugged briefly, and I pulled apart from her. "Bye, Brady."

"See ya Ash." He mumbled. I chuckled, following Tyler out of the forest.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" I asked after about ten minutes. "I think Damon is going to want to come too."

"It doesn't matter." Tyler said, "I want to be there. I want to protect you." He said slowly. He was looking at me with _something_ I couldn't quite place in his eyes. In that second, after he said he wanted to protect me, my stomach fluttered. _Oh my god_. I'd never, ever fallen for someone after only knowing them for a day. I mean, that was so cliché, and so not me. But something about Tyler reeled me in. He was just so... _Tyler_.

_Snap out of it, Ash._ I mentally scolded myself. I was with Damon for sure now, and I'd wanted that for years. Sure, I didn't have all those feelings I used to have... but I still liked him a lot. I knew that he was in love with Elena, but that still didn't stop me. _I'm so stupid_. I had a twelve year old's crush on a boy I'd never met before yesterday. I had to snap out of it. For real.

"I'm glad you're coming." I said casually, not wanting to show the mental conflict that had just taken place within my head.

"Yeah..." His voice faded off, and I stayed silent, walking a bit in front of him. I wanted my feelings to go away.

**A/N: Sorry for 2 things. One; this took so long! I've been so uninspired lately but just recently (especially because of Tyler leaving and there being a hiatus til April) I'm more inspired. Secondly, this is really short. I had a lot of trouble writing it, and it was just hard. The next chapter is going to include the rest of Ashlyn's time with Tyler, as well as her date with Damon, and her departure. **

**So this begs the question; what's going to happen with Tyler? Does he like her? What about Damon and Elena? Let me know your thoughts/feelings/ideas and the next chapter will be up this weekend :D**

**Thanks!  
**


	7. The Plan Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Ashlyn Moore. Although she's only partially owned by me too ;). I don't even own Rae, she belongs to my friend! The Vampire Diaries characters are copyright L.J Smith, and the plotline, while loosely following the show as to right now (but won't be later) belongs to me as well. Don't steal:) **

"What are you thinking about?" I asked Tyler when we got back to his house; the walk had been silent, both of us obviously lost in our own thoughts.

"You're a witch..." He said slowly, "But you don't use your powers."

"I was banned from them for a very long time." I said quietly, "I got used to not using them."

"Are you like Bonnie?"

"I like to think I'm a little bit more developed... being about a hundred and fifty years older and stuff."

Tyler smiled at this. "True enough," he said, "But what kinds of things do you do?"

"Anything you can think of." I said, smirking. He rolled his eyes.

"Really? Anything?" He opened the door to his house, allowing me to enter first. "Why don't you... pick up my car?"

"Easy." I said, concentrating a certain amount of energy on the truck in the driveway. Once the power was focussed, I just visualized it slowly moving up. Higher and higher and—

"Stop!" Tyler said, his eyes wide. I turned to look at the truck, which was twenty feet in the air. I smiled at him, concentrating on slowly and carefully placing it back on the ground.

"You'll be seeing more of my powers on the trip." I promised, "I'll have to use them—a lot."

"To do?"

"Curse things... cast spells, enchant items... maybe make a love potion or two." I joked, "Seduce some unsuspecting males."

"Sounds risqué." Tyler grinned, "I feel bad for those boys."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Tyler didn't answer as we went in and sat down on the couch. "Damon probably won't want to come on our adventure." Tyler said after a while. I frowned, looking over at him.

"Why not?"

"He'll want to stay with Elena. No matter how much he wants to be with you."

"Oh." I said, "Do you think we should go talk to them? Like... now?"

Tyler got up. "That might be a good idea." We made our way to the truck, and then started back towards the boardinghouse.

"Hello? Damon?" I called when we went inside. There was no answer. "Damon!"

"Stop yelling, Moore. It's hurting my ears."

I turned around to see Stefan and Caroline sitting on the sofa, both glaring at me. "Sorry, guys." I said, "But I really need to talk to Damon."

"He's upstairs with Elena." Caroline said, her glare not softening up. If it weren't for the fact that I could disable her in half a second, I would be terrified. I smirked, and grabbed Tyler's wrist, pulling him upstairs. Finding the pair was the easy part; I could hear Elena giggle from down the hall.

"Hey baby." Damon said with a big cheesy grin when I walked in the room, "How's it going?" He asked, coming over and pulling me into a hug, and I rolled my eyes as I saw him secretly look over at Elena to test her reaction.

"I missed you, babe." I said sweetly, planting a kiss on his lips, and holding it there for about ten seconds. Might as well help him as much as I possibly could. "But, Tyler and I have come for a reason."

"And what would that be?"

Tyler stepped in. "I think we should all sit down." He said. I didn't miss Damon's obvious glare, and the curious look Elena was giving me told me that she had no idea about my "rekindled" relationship.

"So what's going on?" Damon asked as soon as we were all settled. He could tell that we'd come up with something _big_.

"Ashlyn has come up with a plan to overthrow Klaus and kill him." Tyler said slowly, "And break the Sun and Moon curse."

"The only way we can do that is if Elena dies. No _way_." Damon growled. I looked over at Elena. I don't think she even cared anymore, to be honest. I knew she was the one I really had to talk to.

"Tyler... how about you explain the plan to Damon, and I'll talk to Elena... alone." I suggested. She nodded, and gave a reassuring look to Damon before following me out of the room.

"I don't care if I have to die to save them all." She said quietly to me once we entered a guest room. We sat down side by side on the bed.

"And they don't care if they all have to die to save you." I smirked, "No offense, Elena, because you seem to be a great girl, but I don't understand the allure. Why would they all die just for you?"

"Even I don't know." She smiled dryly, "And I'm sorry. I know you feel like they wouldn't do that for you, but I'm sure they would—if it was you who constantly seemed to be in danger."

"They're doing it out of love." I said quietly, "And the only reason they'd try to save my life is because I'm one of the most powerful witches on the planet."

"What's your plan?"

"I wanted you to become a vampire." I said quietly, "But I know you wouldn't want to do that."

"You're right." She said quickly, "I wouldn't."

"You'd rather die than become a vampire?" I asked quietly, "That seems kind of stupid, no offense."

"Why's that?"

"I once loved Damon enough that if we'd been together when he was turned, I would have asked him to turn me. So that we could be together forever."

"You still love him—why don't you turn now?"

"I still love him...but he doesn't love me anymore." I finally admitted regretfully to myself, "He's in love with _you_, Elena. And he'd do anything to be with you. He probably wants you to be a vampire more than anything so you can rule the world together or something."

"I love Stefan, and this path isn't something he wants for me."

"You can't say that you don't love Damon a little bit. And sometimes what Stefan wants isn't always what's best." I said, "Believe me. I like you, Elena. And I don't want to see you become a vampire. But it's the only way to make everyone happy. He'll kill you otherwise."

"What's the plan, exactly?"

"We have you feeding off of vampire blood for a week or so. Just to be sure you'll turn. Just a bit a day, and then I'll do the ritual which will break the curse, in a secluded area. In a different country, but first we'll lure Klaus here. After you die one of us can kill Klaus."

"What about Elijah?" Elena asked quietly, as if afraid that the Original was listening.

"Damon's taking care of him tonight." I whispered, "But I'm going to go find some stuff we're going to need—and go on a search for Klaus. Tyler will be coming with me."

"Why Tyler?"

"He wants to come." I found myself smiling a bit, "But anyways. Yeah. Are you game?"

"I am." Elena said, "But we can't tell Stefan. He'll never agree."

"It'll be our secret then." A new voice from the door said. Elena and I whipped around to see Damon and Tyler in the doorway. "It's going to happen though."

"We're going to leave tomorrow." Tyler said slowly, "Next week is the full moon, and the ritual has to be done on a full moon cycle. The day before, of, or after. If we don't do it then, we'll have to wait another month, and this Klaus guy could have already come by then."

"Sounds good." I said. I looked over at Damon. I figured we should probably break off this weird union we had going on. He seemed to be reading my thoughts.

Without a word to anyone else, I swiftly walked into the hallway. I could feel tears pouring out of my eyes. Why was I crying?

He followed me out. "Ash." He said. "Ash, come on, don't be like that." I didn't want him to see my tears.

I couldn't speak. I knew that as soon as I said a word, it would come out as a sob. I didn't cry in front of people. I just didn't. I took a couple of deep breaths. "Meet me for dinner as planned." I said, "But in half an hour. I need to make plans with Tyler."

"Fine." He agreed, still looking a little bit scared at the fact that I'd just been crying.

**A/N: This is the FIRST part of chapter six. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long! I've been stressed out with exams and stuff. But my last exam is on THURSDAY and then I'm freee! :) The next part of chapter six will have the breakup and then a tearful goodbye. It will be so heartwarming. Thanks to everyone who subscribed! :)**


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